Bristlebane
Name of House: Bristlebane Founder: Balthazar Bristlebane Colours of House: Plum & Ivory Traits: Imagination, Innovation, Artistry, and Discovery House Animal: Wolf Element: Aether (to go with the classical Greek elements of fire, water, earth, air, and aether.) Common Room Location: The entrance to Bristlebane is in the East Wing and tower past Glanmore Peakes Corridor. There are six fireplaces in that room and various suits of armour defend the room at night. House Ghost: Bathsheba Common Room Entrance: The entrance way is protected by a suit of armor that can only allow you in if you think of an inventive and unique way to get inside using the day's prompt by the armor. In order to get into the common room you have to make a door in a creative way based on the prompt. So if the armor gives you the prompt of "chalk" the wall is enchanted so if you, say, want to make a door by drawing chalk on the wall in the shape of a door, counting to 10, and spinning counter-clockwise for 5 seconds then shouting "RAGLEFLAT" and grasping the doorknob to open the door then that would probably let you in, but you cannot do that every time you access the room. This house values innovation and creativity, so this is a mind exercise in doing things differently. Common Room Appearance: The common room is circular with a large fireplace opposite the wall of entry. The floor is curved inward and cushy plum coloured chairs and couches are set into it. The tapestries on the wall are white cashmere. To get to the bedrooms there are floating steps or a floating platform for those unable to use the steps or who have lots to carry. The platform is a mite slow though. There are balconies with tables and cushy chairs for studying. They are inside the tower and have windows to the outside right next to them. They also have high sides so that you do not fall out of them as easily. The bedrooms are the same as the other houses with four-poster beds; however, the students can rearrange them as they like. There are five people per room. When you close the curtains to your bed it silences all outside noise and allows only you inside (students trying to invite other students on their bed will find they cannot). This is the only house with unisex bedrooms. How that house was formed and why it was added: When the boy who lived, Harry Potter, killed the infamous dark wizard, Voldemort, the Second Wizard War ended. The wizarding world entered a post-war economic boom, which dropped unemployment to an all-time low. The post-war wizarding boom lasted nearly 30 years. In the early years of the wizarding economic boom, a pure blood witch who had attended Hogwarts, Balthazar Bristlebane, graduated from a post-secondary muggle university with an education degree. She, in a fury, came back to Hogwarts, determined to make a change. She found that muggle students scored higher than wizarding students in English, math, and muggle sciences. She also noticed that wizards were struggling to emulate muggles but muggle-born students found it easier to adapt. Balthazar knew that the wizarding world suffered due to problems with intense conservatism, selective studies, and a lack of innovation in wizarding schools. Balthazar worked alongside former Headmistress, Professor McGonagall, and the sorting hat to institute major changes to Hogwarts.